President Obama has been vocal about the importance of entrepreneurs for the current and future success of the U.S. economy.
The White House recently named 11 young entrepreneurs as "Champions of Change". On January 31, 2011, President Barack Obama stated that "Entrepreneurs embody the promise of America: the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard and see it through, you can succeed in this country. And in fulfilling this promise, entrepreneurs also play a critical role in expanding our economy and creating jobs."
Champions of Change: Youth Entrepreneurs is an initiative that the Obama initiative created that highlights diverse young entrepreneurs committed to "creating jobs, wealth and opportunities for their communities."
Here are the 11 Young Entrepreneurs highlighted as Champions of Change:
1. Erica Zidel, founder and CEO of SittingAround, previously worked as a management consultant. She created SittingAround as a way to help families find quality babysitters in their community.
2. Andrew Yang, founder and President of Venture for America, was previously co-founder and executive of many start-up ventures, most recently a test prep community that was acquired by Kaplan/The Washington Post. Venture for America is a non-profit fellowship program that sends selected college graduates to underprivileged cities in the country to help create jobs.
3. Alex "Papu" Rincon, founder and owner of "fourOsix", graduated from Carroll College in Helena, Montana, and focuses on startups centered on community and social responsibility. FourOSix promotes his hometown Montana living, art, music and style.
4. Jennifer Medbery, founder and CEO of Kickboard by Drop the Chalk, was a high school math teacher for three years as a Teach For America corps member in the Mississippi Delta, and then as a founding teacher at a charter school in New Orleans. A computer science major, she created Drop the Chalk as web-based software that allows teachers to use data to improve student performance.
5. Josh Linkner is the CEO and Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners, a VC firm focused on rebuilding urban areas through entrepreneurship and technology. He is also the New York Times Bestselling author of Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity.
6. Zach Hamilton is a serial entrepreneur who started his first business, a lawn care and landscaping company, that he sold when he was 18. Now 21, and a student at Arizona State University, Zach created Devilwash, an environmentally friendly commercial pressure cleaning company, and is currently creating a new company that helps contractors.
7. Kwanza Fisher is founder and executive director of Neighborhood Mathematica, a math education program for grades 1-8 in Atlanta. The organization aims to create a culture of education within communities and promote healthy competition through regional competitions.
8. Jennifer Donogh is an owner and Director of Operations at Ovaleye LLC, a cloud services company that serves small businesses. She is also the creator and Director of Young Female Entrepreneurs, an online support group and incubator for young female entrepreneurs.
9. Craig J. Cordes, Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Cordina Frozen Drinks and co-founder, was previously a senior consultant at BKP LLP, and Risk Analyst for CIT Group's Consumer and Commercial finance operations.
10. Torya Blanchard, owner and operator of Good Girls Go To Paris Crepes creperie, bar/lounge Rodin and vintage clothing store Little Vera and Ooties, a breakfast lunch place. Torya taught French in a Detroit public school for five years before she decided to act on her passion for Paris and its cuisine.
11. Susan Gregg Koger is Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of ModCloth, a company she started at the age of 17. ModCloth, an ecommerce store selling independent designer fashion and decor now has close to 200 employees. Koger was named Inc. Magazine's #2 "Top Entrepreneur under 30" and BusinessWeek's "Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs" list in 2010.
Puneet Lakhi is the co-founder of EntreRev.com, a premier news and social networking site for young entrepreneurs. He is a seasoned digital marketing expert, having worked in marketing consulting and at online marketing agencies on projects for ESPN, Fidelity, Nokia, Reebok, American Express and more. At EntreRev.com, Puneet is in charge of site development, online marketing and building quality content.
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